Embrace history that built this city

The Ipswich Historical Society today celebrates its Golden Jubilee with an all-day free festival at the Cooneana Heritage Centre.

The Centre is the original site of the historic Cooneana Homestead, built for one of Ipswich's founding fathers in 1868.

The free festival will include dozens of historial displays as well as live entertainment, fashion parades, bush poetry, blacksmithing, magicians, lantern-making and food stalls - all with a taste of what life was like in Ipswich down through to the early days of the city.

An example of some old mining equipment on display.

The blacksmithing demonstrations will be by Queensland's leading blacksmith and trade teacher, Martin Geddes, who will use traditional techniques on six white-hot forges throughout the day.

The Society's Spinners & Weavers group will have public demonstrations, while motorbike fans can feast their eyes upon some vintage Vincents, Nortons, Eagles, BSAs, FNs and Indians - which are part of the biggest collection in Queensland.

The simulated mine rescue will be undertaken by an elite six-man Queensland Mines Rescue team - a team so elite they are on call internationally. Ipswich has played a proud and impressive role in mining and mine rescues - the first Mines Rescue Brigade in Queensland was started in 1909 in Booval and the Mines Rescue Station, still standing in Booval, was the first fully-equipped and independent Mines Rescue Station in Australia. The simulated rescue starts at 11am.

Those interested in their own family history can visit another permanent resident of the Heritage Centre - the Ipswich Genealogical Society, the very first genealogical society established in Queensland.